Under the starlight
by alongthedistance
Summary: "That night of summer, the stars being the only witnesses, Lucy and Natsu shared their memories from their darkest days and promised each other that they wouldn't ever be lost souls looking for the starlight in the darkness." Submission for FT Fluff Week, day 3: Starlight.


**A/N: Hi! This is Sil (myentropicmess ) and here's my only submission for Fluff Week. I'd like to participate more, but these weeks I'm very busy studying for my finals and I have very few time for writing. I chose this prompt because Starlight from Muse is one of my favorite songs of all time and I always wanted to write something inspired in it. I want to thank my betas Sara (worshiperofunknownstories ), Marta (mavis-118 ) and San (onlywordswithoutsense ) because even if they always have compromises, they save time for correcting my fics and support me. I hope that you'll enjoy this fic as much as I did writing it! ^^**

 **Disclaimer** : We don't own Fairy Tail Universe or its characters, they belong to Mashima sensei.

* * *

 _Far away_

 _The ship is taking me far away_

 _Far away from the memories_

 _Of the people who care if I live or die._

* * *

Lucy still remembered how her beloved friend, the water mage Juvia, had defined her darkest days, the ones when she was at the Phantom Lord guild. The bluenette told her that she had felt sadness and solitude on her childhood, but that couldn't have been compared to what she suffered when she was one of the Element Four. In that time, she was a totally different person, consumed by emptiness. Depression wasn't just sadness or hopelessness. It was more like not caring about anything after a long period of rainy journeys. When she was in her worst days, she thought that there wasn't any point on fighting, because she didn't consider herself able to change that situation. Juvia felt defeated and couldn't see the rays of light between the gloomy clouds. The celestial mage could relate to that. Lucy remembered that fateful year when Natsu and Happy went to train by themselves and the guild got disbanded. At first, even if she understood their situation, she couldn't help feeling betrayed and angry at them for leaving her behind. But as days passed, even if the rage and the tears of sorrow were still there, she felt how emptiness began to consume her. The blonde mage lost her self confidence and her will to fight another battle. She was just tired. Tired of waiting and being disappointed. Tired of not being able to see the stars on the cleared sky at night, even if she knew that they were there. That situation changed when Natsu and Happy returned, bringing her light back. But those days wouldn't last long. The battle against Zeref and END happened, leaving all of them with both physical and emotional wounds. The ghosts of past came back not to haunt Lucy but to torment her best friend and loved one. But they also achieved to overcome that. Well, they did their best anyways.

And there they were. Side by side lying on the soft sand of the beach in that warm night of summer. Lucy had persuaded Natsu to do that mission together so the fire dragon slayer could get his self confidence back and to show him that he could use his powers to help people. After all that had happened on that journey, she realized that she had done a good choice bringing him there. For the first time, she saw the Natsu of the past, the one that enjoyed the battle and smiled while using his magic. And she wouldn't change that view for nothing in this world.

Suddenly, Natsu shifted his position to face the celestial mage before lightly touching her cheek with one of his hands, pulling her out of her own thoughts.

"What are you thinking about, Luce?" he whispered as she turned her head to look at him. "You're too quiet."

"Nothing… I was just... Thinking about the stars…" Lucy said, looking at the sky again. "They were always there, you know? Even in times when I wasn't able to see them, they were taking care of me. When I was younger, I used to look at them whenever I felt lonely." She sat down, pulling her knees to her chest and putting her arms around them as she looked at the ground. "Which was all the time since my mom had died…" she chuckled nervously.

"I used to do the same… When… You know… That year…" he sighed, sitting on the sand while looking upwards. "When I wasn't training or keeping myself busy, I felt… I felt lonely. But then, while Happy was sleeping as he is doing right now..." Natsu briefly looked at the blue cat, who was purring in his sleep between them. "I used to look at the stars and I felt like someone was looking at me. Yeah, sounds creepy, but I liked to think that behind those tiny points of light maybe you were there giving me strength or Igneel was protecting me and that's what gave me the will to keep fighting."

"I wish I had felt the same way… That year..." Lucy said in such a low voice that, if Natsu didn't have enhanced hearing, he couldn't be able to hear.

"Why?"

"That year was the first time I didn't felt the warmness of the starlight," the celestial mage sighed while looking at the stars again. "That was the first time I truly felt lonely and hopeless."

Those words exited Lucy's mouth without noticing it. She didn't want to express her thoughts out loud, because she knew that he would blame himself because of that. The celestial mage looked at him, who had a worried expression on his face, while softly putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't meant to… I'm so stup…" Lucy began to say as she was interrupted by the fire dragon slayer.

"I'm sorry," Natsu approached to her, looking at the celestial mage's eyes. "I shouldn't have left you… I explained it to…"

"Yes, I understand your situation and I shouldn't have brought this topic again…."

"I know you understand ,but that doesn't lessen the pain of the harm I have done to you," Natsu cut as she tried to talk again. "Now let me finish… Please..." He closed the distance between them, giving her a glare full of determination. "I'll make it up to you. We're a team and I won't abandon you. I won't let you feel lonely again, not after what you've done for me." Natsu touched her forehead with his as he touched her hair with caress.

Not being able to stop herself, Lucy moved her head to rest it on the crook of his neck and put her arms around him. Then, the fire dragon slayer did the same as he rubbed her back in circles with his hand.

"Thank you…" the celestial mage whispered while she was tightly embracing him, barely containing her tears.

They didn't know for how long they had been that way, hugging each other under the starlight of that calm night, the crashing of waves being the only sound that could be listened. At one point, Natsu separated himself from her, putting his hands on both her shoulders, a cheeky grin appearing on his face.

"And now… We are going to do what I've planned for tonight."

"What?" Lucy looked at him in confusion. She didn't like one bit that playful glint in his eyes.

"You'll see…"

While Lucy wasn't able to react, Natsu put one arm under her knees and the other one behind her back before standing up and start running to the sea.

"Ahhh! What are you doing? Let me go!" Lucy cried while kicking as an attempt to free herself. "I swear to Mavis that if you don't put me down right now I…"

"Oh, give me a break, you're enjoying this as much as I do!" he replied while rolling his eyes.

"But what are we going to do? We can´t enter our rented room with our clothes soaking wet!"

"We can always go back naked, there's no one in the streets right now and we already saw each other without clothes."

"Pervert!" The celestial mage blushed while hitting him on the chest and kicking again as Natsu ran to the sea, jumping the waves that were crashing on the shore.

"Let's go! I'm all fired up!"

"No!" she yelled, clutching at his vest in an attempt to avoid her inescapable outcome.

Then, when water was reaching his waist, Natsu looked at her with a playful grin on his face before jumping backwards while carrying her in his arms. She would regret it afterwards but, at the moment, she was enjoying how water was refreshing her warm skin while sinking. That was how her life was while being in a relationship with the fire dragon slayer, full of surprises, not having any moment to get bored.

After enjoying that nice sensation, she put her feet on the compact sand to get herself out of the water to catch some air. And there he was, Natsu Dragneel, looking at her with that big smile of his that showed his sharp canines. Oh Mavis, how much she had missed it on those longs months of recovery. That smile that could give her hope in the most difficult moments. That smile that assured her that everything was going to be alright.

"I see that you are enjoying it after all. I told you."

"You are an idiot." She splashed some water on his face with a good hit of her hands, surprising him.

"Yeah…" Natsu approached her fast and put his arms on her waist. "But I'm your idiot."

Lucy blushed as she felt Natsu's naturally warm hands on her. Then, she looked at him. She loved how his skin looked under the moonlight, making his body more beautiful and softening his factions. The celestial mage also noticed that he must have opened his vest while being underwater, showing how small drops of water were running down on his sharp muscles. His beauty was both on the inside and the outside, after all.

Suddenly, she heard the fire dragon slayer cough lightly, getting her out of her doze, and she saw her hand caressing his abdominal muscles. How could she have done it without noticing it? Embarrassed, she took out her hand and looked away, not wanting to face him after what she'd done. Now he was going to mock her and with a good reason. Later, she felt one of Natsu's hands on the top of her hair and she hid her face behind her hands.

"I'm sorry… This is so embarrassing…" Natsu's hand softly took her hands away and looked at her.

"It's not that I wasn't looking at your breasts either," he replied, scratching the back of his neck, a devilish grin on his face.

"How can I be with such a pervert?" the celestial mage protested as she hit him on the shoulder.

"Look who's talking…" He rolled his eyes as he closed the distance between them. "You… You look beautiful…" he added, blushing as he lay his hands in both sides of Lucy's face.

"You… You too…" The blonde rounded Natsu's waist with her arms as she was feeling his warm breath on her lips because of their proximity. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Then, the fire dragon slayer moved lightly his head before locking his lips with hers, electricity invading their bodies, their most profound feelings being showed that way. As their mouths were dancing, the stars and the moonlight the only witnesses of the scene, Lucy entangled her hands on his wet hair, pulling him closer and drowning in the sensations that were overwhelming her body. She didn't want that moment to end. He was the light that always showed her her way home whenever she felt lost. The celestial mage was ready to leave her past behind, those difficult years of solitude and sadness, because she knew that Natsu wouldn't let that happen again. He was both her best friend and soulmate, and he would do anything to protect her. And she would do the same for him.

Later, they broke the kiss to catch some air and Natsu looked at her with what she could identify as lust and longing. Lucy couldn't blame him because she was feeling the same way. Wanting to have his body closer to hers, she put her arms tightly around his back and lay his head on the crook of his neck. Then he touched her wet golden hair with caress before hugging her.

"What's happening, Luce?" he whispered with a soft voice as she approached his ear.

"Nothing…" she replied while she was feeling sparks as Natsu was touching the skin of her arms. "Just… Don't leave. You and I, together under the starlight. This is just perfect and I wish it could last forever…"

Hearing those words, Natsu kissed her again, his hands softly moving from his arms before caressing her shoulders, feeling warmness even if they were on the cold water. And, that night, the fire dragon slayer fulfilled Lucy's wish. They stayed closer, expressing their love in each movement of their bodies. But that wasn't the only thing they did. They also made a promise under the moonlight.

* * *

 _My life_

 _You electrify my life_

 _Let's conspire to ignite_

 _All the souls that would die just to feel alive._

* * *

The promise that they wouldn't ever be lost souls in the night searching the starlight.

* * *

 _Now I'll never let you go_

 _If you promised not to fade away_

 _Never fade away._

* * *

The promise that they wouldn't feel lonely again.


End file.
